COURTESY ARTFORUM
Artforum publisher Knight Landesman has resigned amid controversy surrounding allegations of sexual misconduct. The magazine’s chairman, Anthony Korner, accepted Landesman’s resignation today, according to a statement emailed to ARTnews that was signed by the publication’s three other publishers, Anthony Korner, Charles Guarino, and Danielle McConnell.
The initial report, published by Artnet News, revealed that Landesman was involved in a filing for damages being brought against him by a former employee. The employee had left the publication in 2012, then filed a complaint against him in 2016, and then this year made a claim for damages. Yesterday, Artforum released a statement distancing itself from Landesman’s behavior, noting, “At no time was Artforum complicit or culpable.”
Also included in the Artnet report was news that 15 men and women could recount stories of Landesman had inappropriately touched, groped, or otherwise harassed them. These stories came out after the artist Liam Neff posted an Instagram comparing Landesman, who has worked at Artforum for more than 35 years, to Harvey Weinstein and musician Matt Mondanile, both of whom are also currently embroiled in reports of sexual assault and harassment.
Asked by Artnet about the accusations, Landesman said he had “tested certain boundaries” while maintaining “I have never willfully or intentionally harmed anyone.”
Artforum’s statement follows in full below.
This morning, Knight Landesman offered his resignation to the publishers of Artforum and Chairman Anthony Korner accepted. In the past days, we have met with our staff and they have told us that Knight Landesman engaged in unacceptable behavior and caused a hostile work environment. We will do everything in our ability to bring our workplace in line with our editorial mission, and we will use this opportunity to transform Artforum into a place of transparency, equity, and with zero tolerance for sexual harassment of any kind. Regretfully, this behavior undermines the feminist ideals we have long strived to stand for. In response, we are creating a special task force of women at the magazine who will oversee this transformation.